Japanese technology for Trivandrum zoo, museum clean-up

As the Corporation hunts for effective and affordable alternatives for waste disposal, the city’s Museum and Zoo department has a new proposal before them to treat the waste generated on its premises.

A comprehensive waste disposal scheme is needed for the Museum, which witnesses very high footfall even on weekdays.

While the area is maintained well with sweepers constantly on their feet, the department, since the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant was shut, has had to set aside a portion of their funds for a third-party to come everyday to cart away the garbage. The department has no biogas plant or small incinerator to enable self-sufficiency in waste management.

The new proposal is from a Bangalore-based company, CEICO Consulting Private Limited, that claims the Ecomac, a device run on Japanese technology, could process all kinds of waste including organic, plastics, tyres, medical waste, paper, and even e-waste. The exceptions include glass, ceramics and stone. Any kind of waste is turned into ionic ash without the use of fuel or power, CIECO officials say.

The engineering consulting firm has been specialising in alternative energy and waste disposal solutions. Chief Operating Officer of CEICO, Mini Thomas, told The Hindu that the Ecomac was developed along with the Japan Business Centre and relied on using a special magnetic field and oxygen to decompose waste.

There are also inbuilt smoke and odour suppression equipments which do not require any fuel, she says. It is said to pose no pollution hazards and, according to the company officials, it can reduce 1,000 kilograms of municipal solid waste to 20 kilograms of ionic ash. The plant’s capacity ranges between 250 and 3,000 kilograms.

The city’s past experiences in dealing with the garbage problem has not been impressive, with questions raised on the gasification technology mooted for Chala and the authenticity of the deal.

The mobile incinerator too cannot be termed a success considering how much fuel it drank for too little amount of garbage processed. Naturally, the museum authorities are treading the new proposal very carefully.

“The company has begun trial runs of this machine at an institution near the Bangalore airport. Once it starts full-fledged functioning, we will send our officials and experts to determine its efficacy,” says Museum Director B. Joseph.

Could be used as INSET

To improve the communication and working atmosphere among Zoo employees, the authorities are also working towards establishing a digital walkie-talkie system here.

The department has filed an online application for licence for frequencies to the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing based in New Delhi, functioning under the Department of Telecommunications.

Director B. Joseph hopes that the licence is issued within 45 days since the Museum and Zoo department is a government agency. Along with the surveillance cameras installed on the premises sprawling over 55 acres, this equipment could also contribute towards better supervision and seamless communication. Once the licence is obtained, an open tender will be called for the installation. Rs.12 lakh has been set aside this year for this project.